[meteorite-list] 5 reasons to record meteorite coordinates

[Meteorites USA]

Hi List,

I can't agree more with Rob's points and to expand on #2 and somewhat 
obviously...

I do not agree with Carl's remarks, I don't understand how anyone could 
basically ask the question "what use is strewnfield data"? Seems rather 
inconsiderate of the science.

2a) For new meteorite falls it's important to record the data for proper 
mapping of the strewnfield simply to locate other stones. This provides 
data for ground mapping of the entire strewnfield and allows the the 
prediction of distribution of material in future falls.

This when combined with all the others is perhaps the most important 
part of meteorite hunting next to the actual petrography. Without this 
data we would have no idea where to search for meteorites, the dynamics 
of any given meteorite fall, nor what to look for on future meteorite 
falls to predict the location of specimens in any given circumstance. 
Combining the petrography of multiple falls (50-100 or more) of the same 
type with available strewnfield data you can predict more accurately 
what will happen in with future meteorite falls, and more directly when 
viewing fireball videos you can make an educated guess as to type and 
distribution "before" a meteorite is recovered, especially when you take 
into account the dynamics of the fall. Eventually with enough data 
collected you could theoretically predict not only the location of the 
fall (once an NEO is spotted) but predict it's type based on all the 
data gathered from previous falls.

It's an exciting science meteoritics...

Regards,
Eric Wichman
Meteorites USA



On 3/9/2010 1:19 PM, Matson, Robert D. wrote:
> Carl asks:
>
>    
>> I don't yet understand why people put so much importance on find
>> co-ords and strewnfields. It has not only been pointed out by another
>> important list member that "A meteorite does not care where it lands".
>> (Ted Bunch).
>>      
> You may be quoting Ted out of context. Yes, a meteorite doesn't care.
> But people do, including many researchers. Recording find coordinates
> serves at least five purposes that I can think of, right off the bat:
>
> 1.  In situ photographic provenance. If a meteorite becomes separated
> from
> its identifying documentation, a photograph in the field with a GPS unit
> is an excellent way to reestablish its identity. This can be very
> helpful
> when a meteorite has been sent to a lab for analysis, and its label gets
> lost or the sample confused with another meteorite at that lab.
>
> 2.  For recent falls, it can help tell you something about the dynamics
> of the fall, such as the entry azimuth (being careful to account for
> wind drift), and terminal burst vs. multiple fragmentation.
>
> 3.  For finds, it is a necessary (but not by itself sufficient) metric
> for establishing likely pairings.
>
> 4.  With find coordinates and care with pairing, it becomes possible to
> estimate minimum annual meteorite fall rate based on the number of
> unpaired finds over a carefully surveyed area.
>
> And most valuable to the finders working an area:
>
> 5.  The distribution of find coordinates may provide evidence of fluvial
> and aeolian transport. This can greatly enhance meteorite recovery rate
> by transforming a two-dimensional search problem into a 1-dimensional
> boundary search.
>
> I'm sure others can add more to this list. The point is, just because
> one person doesn't believe recording find coordinates is important
> doesn't mean it isn't valuable to someone else. So by failing to do
> so, either through ignorance or apathy, a hunter is destroying
> scientific data.
>
> --Rob
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